Control and adjustment assembly for rolling mill cages

ABSTRACT

A rolling rill drive train arrangement wherein roller axes are displaceable in opposite arcuate directions and always remain in the same vertical plane. A plurality of output shafts are provided corresponding to different reduction ratios of motor speed.

United States Patent Brusa 1 Aug. 29, 1972 [54] CONTROL AND ADJUSTMENT [56] References Cited ASSEMBLY FOR ROLLING MILL CAGES UNITED STATES PATENTS 72] Inventor; Ugo Brusa, v Borgnis, Domodos 1,962,581 6/1934 Carroll ....72/249 X 5013, Italy 2,240,362 4/1941 Backhaus ..72/249 [22] Filed: 1970 Primary Examiner-Milton S. Mehr 30] Foreign Application Priority Data Amway-"Clam Sept. 22, 1967 Italy ..53095-A/67 [57] ABSTRACT PP N05 100,329 A rolling rill drive train arrangernent wherein roller axes are displaceabl in opposite arcuate directions Rehned Apphcauonlnata and always remain in the same vertical plane. A plu- [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 762,218, Sept. rality of output shafts are provided corresponding to 16, 1968, abandoned. different reduction ratios of motor speed.

52 us. Cl ..72/249, 74/384 5 Claims, 6 Drawing figures [51] Int. Cl. ..B21b 35/00 Field of Search ..72/249, 237, 384

PATENTED M1829 1922 SHEET 1 0F 2 alll CONTROL AND ADJUSTMENT ASSEMBLY FOR ROLLING MILL CAGES The present application is a continuation in part of my copending application Ser. No. 762.218 filed Sept. 16, 1968 now abandoned.

This invention relates to a control or adjustment assembly for rolling mill cages.

When rolling mills are designed for the production of flats, sheets, structural shapes etc. having a wide range of very different thickness, the most' suitable roll diameter to work each section may be determined, as known, for each case within a good approximation. In practice, if the use of these roll diameters is desired, more rolling trains must be used in each installation; in the case where, for installation economy, very different sections must be obtained with the same cage, it is not possible to vary the diameter of the rolls more than within a very small range, as this diameter, according to known construction system, is fixed, having to correspond to the center distance of the actuating pinions.

Therefore in practice, when a wide range of products and a limitation of the number of cages are desired, the smallest sections will be obtained on rolls with a diameter greater than required, with a consequent stress increase, both as the specific pressures and the torques actuating the rolls are concerned.

Further, during the smallest section working, it is difficult to utilize the whole available motive power, because having relatively small torques, it would be convenient to increase the motor rotational speed'and this is not possible unless electrical speed controlling assemblies are used, whose cost is very high.

It will be useful to remember that, according to known techniques, the drive of the two rolls of a rolling mill cage is obtained by an assembly which comprises, in addition to the motor, a reduction unit, a doubling unit (usually named pinion cage) and two extension parts provided with coupling sleeves to connect a pinion shaft to the end of a roll. Both rolls receive the drive from the side where the pinion cage is located and the two coupling sleeves, arranged parallel to each other must lie spaced one from another at a distance sufficient to avoid any contact therebetween. Hence the diameter of the coupling sleeves limit the minimum diameter that each roll may assume.

The object of the invention is to provide a rolling train which may in practice work with a good efficiency over the whole range of flats, sheets, structural shapes etc. normally required by the trade, utilizing in the best way the available motor power.

The first feature of the invention consists in the fact that the two reduction units, through which the two rolls of the same cage receive their drive from the same motor, are located one on one side of the cage and the other on the opposite side, and are mounted on bearings pivoted on horizontal axes, said axes being parallel to each other and to the axes of the rolls, and lying in the same vertical plane.

Preferably the pivotal axis of each bearing is the axis of the fast shaft of each reduction unit, whereas the slow shaft from which the rolls receive their drive is movable and carries with it the rolls, which are displaced while maintaining them parallel to each other and equidistant from the pivotal axis which is different for the two rolls.

In this way the axes of the rolls during their displacement generate two cylindrical surfaces with horizontal axes. The displacement of said two rolls is effected in such a way that the plane defined by their axes and the axis of the fast shaft causing itsactuation, rotates upward for one of them through a certain angle, and, for the other, it rotates downward through the same angle.

Another feature of the invention consists in the fact that preferably each of the two reduction units actuating the rolls presents a plurality of output shafts, corresponding to different reduction ratios of the motor speed.

Other particularities, features and advantages of the invention will clearly appear from the following description, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a rolling mill cage with its control members;

FIG. 2 is a schematic, perspective view of one embodiment of the rolling mill control and the devices allowing to obtain the variation of the position of the axes of the rolls;

FIG. 3, similar to FIG. 2, shows another embodiment of the reduction units;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation of the cage of FIG. 1 from the opposite side of the motor;

FIG. 5 is a top view of the cage, partly in section; and

FIG. 6 is a front view.

Referring to the drawings (FIG. 1) there is shown a rolling cage consisting of two rolls C C having axes 0 0 and respectively 0, 0 mounted on a frame for a vertical sliding movement. A motor 101 allows to actuate the rolls through two reduction units and two sleeves M M mounted on opposite sides of the cage. The reduction units are supported in housings 102, 102' which can be opened so as to allow access to the reduction units and are connected by a shaft A, whose ends are mounted in bearings 103, 103'. The reduction units may have a plurality of output shafts 104, 105 (FIG. 5) corresponding to different reduction ratios of the motor speed.

Frame 100 supporting the rolls is mounted on guideways 106 for a sliding movement on the construction base, so as to bring the rolls in face of either couple 104, 105 of output shafts of the reduction units, according to the requirements of the working.

I-Iousings 102, 102' are supported at their rear ends by the bearings 103, 103' so that they can be pivotally moved about horizontal axes, parallel to each other and lying in the same vertical plane, in order to vary the distance between the rolls. More particularly, housing 102 is pivoted to an axis 107 parallel to shaft A and coaxial with the output shaft of motor 101. Housing 102' is pivoted to shaft A. The front portion of these housings are supported for instance by screws 11 which are hingedly connected to the construction base through a joint 14 and may be rotated so as to pivotally move the housings through the same angle but in opposite directions.

The reduction units and the means for varying the angular position of the rolls are best shown in FIG. 2. Here, for sake of simplicity, the frame 100 of the cage, the bearings 103, 103' and the motor 101 are not shown. There is shown only one wall of the housings 102, 102', indicated by 10 and respectively 10'. In the following description said walls will he often named plates 10, 10,. The figure relates to reduction units with a single output shaft.

As shown, the reduction unit of the cylinder C comprises a pinion P rigidly coupled for rotation with the output shaft of the motor, which pinion meshes with wheel or gear D having an output shaft actuating sleeve M coupled to cylinder C A second pinion P, having the same diameter as P meshes with pinion P and hence receives the movement at the same speed but in the opposite direction. Pinion P is rigidly coupled for rotation to one end of shaft A which at the other end carries pinion P of the reduction unit relative to roll C Shaft A is the fast shaft of this reduction unit. Pinion P meshes with a wheel or gear D whose output shaft is coupled with sleeve M The output shafts of wheels D and D extend on the side opposite to rolls C and C and their ends are supported in plates 10 and 10. Plates 10 also bears the extension of shaft A, which is the axis of P whereas pinion P is supported in bearing 103 independently from housing 102.

Further it must be noted that while axis of motor 101 and pinion P is fixed, axis 0 of wheel or gear D, may be rotated around axis 0 as will be further explained. Similarly axis OO of pinion P and pinion P remains fixed, while axis 0 of wheel or gear D may be rotated around said fixed axis 0-0 The same FIG. 2 further shows the means for rotating axes of wheels D and D and hence axes of cylinders C, and C around said fixed axes.

As shown, each plate is provided with a lug 13 hingedly connected by means of a pin 19 movable within a slot 18, to a female thread or threaded sleeve 12 engaged by a screw 11 rigidly coupled for rotation with wheel or gear meshing with wheel or gear 16, actuated, for instance, by an actuating wheel 17.

If more operating speeds are desired for rolls C C the reduction units may be arranged as shown in FIG. 3. Here it is shown that on the axes of wheels D, and D are rigidly coupled pinions Q and respectively Q having output shafts 104 and meshing with second wheels or gears R and respectively R having in turn output shafts 105, whose speed is lower than the speed of output shaft 104.

In the figure sleeves M and M are shown-coupled to said slower shafts 105.

In this case the output shafts of wheels R and R are supported by plates 10 and 10; the axes of said wheels will therefore rotate together with the axes of D and D around the pivotal axis of the respective plate. The means allowing to cause the rotation of said plates are similar to those shown in FIG. 2.

FIGS. 4 to 6 show different views of the rolling mill cage and the control assembly.

More particularly FIG. 5 shows that the reduction unit relative to roll C actually comprises two pinions Q and Q rigidly coupled to the axis of wheel D on opposite sides thereof, said pinions meshing respectively with wheels R R having the same output shaft 105. The reduction unit relative to roll C will be constructed in the same way. For sake of simplicity only pinion Q and wheel R have been shown in FIG. 3.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show also that the front portions of housings 102, 102 are supported by two of said screws 11, placed at both sides of the housing.

The control and adjustment assembly described and illustrated operates in the following way. When the cage is being prepared, the operating speed of the rolls' more suitable for the particular working is chosen, if the reduction units allow it, by coupling the sleeves to one couple of output shafts 104, of the reduction units.

Then the distance between the rolls is established and fixed by turning wheel 17, which actuates gear 16. Gear 16 rotates wheel 15 and then screw 11 which causes the threaded sleeve 12 to displace. In this way plate 10 and hence housing 102 are rotated, for instance so as to be raised, and the axis of roll C is then lifted.

At the same time, or afterwards, also the wheel 17 relative to plate 10' is rotated so as to obtain a lowering of roll C equal to the lifting of roll C While varying their distance, rolls C, and C at the same time will also displace slightly in a horizontal direction. In order to compensate the horizontal displacement the cage will be slightly displaced.

When the adjustment has been made, plates 10 and 10' are locked to avoid their further displacement in a vertical direction, and the working may be carried on.

The means used to obtain the variation of the distance between the roll axes permit very wide displacement, as for instance from 30 to 800 mm.

In the above description reference has been made to a manual control of the rotation of plates 10. Advantageously the control may be obtained by mechanical means, for instance a motor actuating pinions 16. Two distinct motors may be employed for actuating pinions 16 of each plate, or preferably a single motor will actuate pinions 16 of both plates. In such a way, if screws 11 relative to the two plates are threaded in opposite ways, the same number of rotations of pinions 16 will permit to obtain angular displacements of plates 10 equal in amplitude but in opposite directions.

From the aforesaid it is evident that with the construction according to the invention not only the lower limitation concerning the diameters of the rolls has been eliminated, but also the same cage permits the work with rolls whose axes may be moved away from one another as desired and which may be actuated in any case at the more suitable speed.

What is claimed is:

1. A drive assembly for rolling mill cages, wherein two rolls of a single cage receive their drive from a single motor through two reduction units placed on opposite sides of the cage, characterized in that the reduction units are mounted in bearings pivoted on horizontal axes, parallel to each other and to the axes of the rolls, and lying in the same vertical plane, means permitting rotation of said bearings around said axes through equal angles but in opposite directions.

2. The drive assembly in accordance with claim 1, wherein the pivotal axes of said bearings comprise fast shafts of the respective reduction units. I

3. The drive assembly in accordance with claim 1 wherein the means for angularly rotating each bearing consist of a female threaded member hingedly coupled to a lug on a housing wall and threadably engaged by a screw which is rotated by a suitable actuating means.

4. The drive assembly in accordance with claim 1, wherein a single actuating means permits rotation of both bearings.

5. The drive assembly in accordance to claim 1, wherein each reduction unit has a plurality of output shafts which receive the rotation of the motor reduced by different ratios and therefore actuate the rolls at different speed. 5 

1. A drive assembly for rolling mill cages, wherein two rolls of a single cage receive their drive from a single motor through two reduction units placed on opposite sides of the cage, characterized in that the reduction units are mounted in bearings pivoted on horizontal axes, parallel to each other and to the axes of the rolls, and lying in the same vertical plane, means permitting rotation of said bearings around said axes through equal angles but in opposite directions.
 2. The drive assembly in accordance with claim 1, wherein the pivotal axes of said bearings comprise fast shafts of the respective reduction units.
 3. The drive assembly in accordance with claim 1 wherein the means for angularly rotating each bearing consist of a female threaded member hingedly coupled to a lug on a housing wall and threadably engaged by a screw which is rotated by a suitable actuating means.
 4. The drive assembly in accordance with claim 1, wherein a single actuating means permits rotation of both bearings.
 5. The drive assembly in accordance to claim 1, wherein each reduction unit has a plurality of output shafts which receive the rotation of the motor reduced by different ratios and therefore actuate the rolls at different speed. 